Poularde
A poularde is a fatty chicken that is reared in a particular manner. In the past, the poularde was a hen from which the ovaries had been removed, like the capon, which is castrated. These days, young hens are raised free range for the first part of their life and fed with corn, cereals and milk. Then just before it reaches sexual maturity, it is placed in a cage and maintained in the dark to be fattened with rich food for few weeks which delays the onset of laying and promotes fattening. In this way, the young hens do not reach sexual maturity, resulting in a very meaty bird (around 1.8Kg), covered with an important layer of fat, with a very tender, moist and milky flesh, but slightly on the bland side. it is slaughter at a minimum of 120 days. Due to its high price it is mainly sold for festive meals, such as Christmas.
The poularde has white, tender flesh and a very fine taste. The most common varieties are the Bresse, Le Mans or Loué.